Virgin Garage... Need suggestions

[MightyP]

We're closing on a new house soon and I'm working on how I want to setup my garage. It's been years since we've owned, so I'm looking forward to making the garage something other than the cheapest thing that meets code. For those of you who don't have the attention span to read all my babbling, I'll start with my specific questions. For the rest, read on...

Needs:
1. Lighting. The single bulb socket just isn't going to cut it.
2. Workbench
3. Storage

Requirements:
- This has to be budget friendly. I don't have a set budget, but we're shooting to be able to move into our forever house in 5-7 years. Think either inexpensive quality...
- The main garage will have 2 cars parked inside each night
- Besides the water heater, we'll add at least a water softener

Info:
- Main garage is 18.5' x 18.5' inside with a 9' ceiling
- Water heater and softener are in the garage
- Workshop is 4'9.5" x 18.5'
- Floor is sealed


Long Version:
Basically, I'm looking at painting the walls two-tone in the main garage. Do blue at the bottom and a similar color grey to what's already there at the top with a black stripe separating them, 2 or 3 ft off the ground. I'd paint the trim black as well. From there, I'm thinking of adding 2 or 3 fluorescent light fixtures and a wall-mounted cabinet or two on the back wall. I'm not sure the best way to run power to the light fixtures, which is my first problem. The other question is what to get for cabinets. I'd like them to match whatever I get for the workshop.

The workshop is basically a giant hallway. At 4 ft 9.5 in wide, it's just wide enough to put 2 ft wide work benches on one side and still walk on the other. Lighting in the workshop is easier as there are actually 3 fixtures inside. I figure 2 more fixtures and a ceiling fan... I'm also thinking I'd like a good size workbench along with a couple big cabinets, peg board and shelves. I need to be able to store my camping gear, air compressor, pressure washer, shop vac and then "normal" garage tools and supplies along with my workbench.

So... Here is what I'm thinking:
- Outdoor paint for the walls/ceiling
- 4 ft fluorescent fixtures from Lowes/Home Depot.
-- Best way to run power? Better place to get them?
- Cabinets and work bench... Do I want something widely available like Gladiator? Is there another quality option that might be less expensive?
- Anything obvious I'm missing?

 

[MightyP]

Here's what I make work now. I'd like to avoid this.





And while I can fit either of our cars inside, it's... cozy.

 

[MightyP]

Reserved for updates.

 

[Shiftless]

My first impression is that your workshop area is really to cramped to use as a workshop. IIWY, I would pull your smallest car into the garage with the back bumper 6 inches from the garage door. Then see how much room you have in front of it. Assuming you have maybe 2 feet or so, build a workbench that size. If you only intend to park one car in there, plan accordingly.
One idea is to get one or two harbor Freight 44 inch rollaways and build your bench to fit above them so you will have lots of storage drawers.
Hang one or two 4 foot shoplights above the bench and you will be set.

As far as your "hallway" goes, I would build or buy shallow open shelving to put on each of the long walls. All your gear (maybe even your stationary compressor) would go in there and you could close the door and it would be out of sight.

My garage is the same size as yours and I park 2 cars there. I just back one out to use the workbench. My workbench is 30 inches deep in front of the smaller car. On the other half, I have a bigger car pulled in all the way to the back wall. I have 12 inch deep shelves along one side wall and 16 inch deep shelves along the other side. My HF 44 inch box is built into the set of 16 inch deep shelves and protrudes just 2 inches.
I have a late model volvo and a '62 ford Galaxie in there. You can figure it out.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

If it were me I would probably use that workshop for storage. Lots of shelving and use of vertical space etc.

 

[ItsNemo]

18.5x18.5 you're not going to fit two vehicles side by side very easily and even the depth is a bit lacking. I'd go work benches down the right hand side since the water tank is sticking in there anyway. Use the workshop space as 100% storage to keep everything else out of the garage and to get the noise of a compressor out of the main garage. Having a parts/equipment room would make the actual garage space way nicer to work in.

If my bench only had 2-3 feet in front of it I'd constantly be banging up the walls trying to handle 8 foot stock or larger parts.

 

[SJR033]

This is a tough one for me. On one hand you can put the workbench in the "hallway" and not have to look at a messy bench every time you open the garage door. Or you could put open shelves in the hallway and not have to look at that mess.

I guess I would put the water softener next to the heater along the front wall. Then maybe a utility sink. Then the fridge. Maybe a shelf or cabinets above the man door all the way across.

As for the hall way. 10ish feet of shelving all the way in and the use 2- HF 44's for a workbench just inside the door.

You don't have a lot of width in the garage, so I would avoid cabinets on the sides. But hanging ladders, rakes etc should work.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Would these help? I'm not sure how tall the ceiling is.

http://www.costco.com/SafeRacks-Ove...e-Hook-Accessory-Pack-.product.100133736.html

 

[roc_on_the_rocks]

"What I lack in knowledge, I make up for with sarcasm and bad jokes"

So here's one, about 'her' virginity... does it mean both front and back doors?

 

[taumac]

Looks like a nice garage and paint looks nice already. My suggestion is that if this isn't going to be your forever home then I would make everything portable and be easily removed to do to your next place.

Your Virgin garage is on GJ now. She's no Virgin no more. LOL

 

[Nighttrain]

SEAL the floor while it's empty. Get a simple sealer from Legacy here on GJ.

 

[matt_i]

Some standard T8 x 4 bulb fixtures would work well. Since you have a single bulb socket, you have the advantage of running a piece of EMT to go between the sidewalls of a number of T8 housings, without having to do any excavation of drywall, etc.

I think LED fixtures would also work but I have never had one in my hands to see if its built similarly.

 

[Cyberbear]

I grew up always having at least a two car garage for my needs, but lived with a single car garage during my first year after leaving home to begin my life in the real world.
Ended up buying a home with a detached dbl. car garage which I added onto until I had 2700 sq/ft under roof. Grew older and finally ended up in a rural area with 7.5 acres and a 2400 new sq/ft shop.
Personally, if I were in your position, I'd just tread water until the forever home and make what you have livable until then. Once that is acquired you can finally have the shop you have always wanted, finances, time and health permitting, of course. I've tried to work in cramped space and hated it.

 

[MightyP]

Thanks for the input everyone. I thought through the various suggestions, and even though I obviously won't be going with what everyone suggested, it was a good mental exercise on possibilities.

The floor is already sealed and while the walls are painted, it's one coat of cheap, interior paint. It really needs at least another coat to look nice in person. I really like the color scheme of the garage in the below picture, so I'm basically going to copy it.

Next, I'm going to buy some T8 fixtures. I'm leaning toward 4 of the T8 fixtures to get even lighting for the main garage and 2 for the hallway/workshop. I'm going to have to actually look at the fixtures in person to figure out if I want x2 or x4 fixtures. Might post something in the lighting section if I can't decide.

Next step will be the workbench. I like the Gladiator bench because it's 6 ft wide but only 20 inches deep. Whether I put it in the main garage or hallway, anything deeper than 20 inches is going to really limit my ability to walk/move.

From there... we'll see.

 

[03fan]

Might want to hold off on the decorating until you have all the shelving and work benches in place. Otherwise your walls will be swiss cheese.

 

[Jazz1]

If you have not purchased lights T5's offer better illumination for only a few dollars more

 

[gahrajmahal]

I recently added a 4' LED light I really like. The fluorescent fixture dropped and broke. I added a swivel can light in front of the car on one side. Now I can really see to work under the hood. Put in a LED spot lamp.

In my son's 1920's single car garage we put in a Menards industrial rack system with 9' wide supports. We got the widest width, I think 36". We left out any bottom shelves and placed the first shelf around 4' off the floor. They can pull their Subaru Forester in there with the nose fitting under the shelves. Storage in labeled totes go above. Another tip, put all of your garden tools, shovels on a rack close to the garage door for easy access. Less likely to bang up the cars when getting them down. Mine rackks are made of 1" black iron pipe x 12" long. I can put 4-5 shovels, brooms in one space stacked one on top of the other.

 

[MightyP]

Wow, I got distracted from working on my garage for quite a while. Thank you, all, for the inputs. Some I've used. Other's won't work so well for me. In any case, I've started working on it again, but decided to do a "build" thread to track it.

Thanks again!